Chapter 96: Feed Me With a Spoon? (4)

One of the burly men stepped forward.

“Judging by your appearance, you seem to be a knight escort. Don’t be stubborn—step aside quietly.”

At his words, a small laugh escaped from Jade’s lips.

“This is ridiculous. Are you actually trying to kidnap this man right now?”

“It’s not a kidnapping. We’re simply inviting him politely. There’s someone who wishes to meet the man behind you.”

“And you think that’s going to happen?”

The man’s brow furrowed deeply.

“If you don’t step aside nicely, there’ll be unnecessary bloodshed.”

“Don’t you think it’s too early to tell who’ll be the one bleeding?”

Jade pushed his sword sheath slightly forward in a threatening motion.

Seeing that, Fordman placed a hand on Jade’s shoulder from behind.

“Let’s hear who it is first.”

“The atmosphere doesn’t look too friendly. Are you sure about this?”

“If things get rough, Sir Jade can handle it, can’t he?”

“Well, that’s true. Fine. Let’s do that for now.”

After hearing Fordman’s words, the man nodded slightly.

“Lead the way. Let’s see who’s so eager to meet me.”

“A wise choice.”

The men guided Fordman and Jade forward.

Before long, they arrived at a place called the Cuera Trading Company.

It was quiet, likely because business hours were over.

They entered and walked into the room at the very back.

“We’ve brought him.”

The man who had been blocking the way stepped aside.

A middle-aged man was sitting in a chair facing them.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dane Cuera, from the Cuera Trading Company.”

At his introduction, Fordman’s expression hardened.

Even when he first entered the Cuera Trading Company, he had already sensed that something was off.

“So it’s you, Lord Dane Cuera.”

Fordman, who was usually cheerful, spoke in a serious tone with a firm expression.

“It’s been a while, Fordman. You slipped through my fingers back then, and I thought I’d never see you again. Yet here we are.”

Dane Cuera had targeted Fordman once before.

But thanks to the Eye of the Moon, whom Raion had hired, Fordman had managed to escape.

“Yes, indeed. I didn’t want to come here either, but my superiors insisted.”

“I’m quite curious about that superior of yours. But enough chit-chat—let’s get to the point.”

Fordman waited silently for his answer.

With a sly grin, Dane Cuera finally spoke.

“It’s about the goods you brought this time. Hand them over to us.”

In Archia, the two largest trading companies were Ratea and Cuera.

The Cuera Trading Company had once been at the top, but about five years ago, it began losing ground to the Ratea Trading Company.

Even now, that ranking hadn’t changed.

That was exactly why Cuera wanted to meet Fordman.

“The goods have already been promised to the Ratea Trading Company.”

“But you haven’t signed a contract yet, have you? We’ll pay you generously. So take the offer while I’m being polite.”

The air in the room grew tense.

If Fordman refused, the men surrounding him looked ready to use force.

“I’ll have to decline. I don’t change my decisions easily.”

“You really don’t understand your situation. Do you think this is the only card I have to play?”

Dane Cuera frowned slightly.

At the same moment, the men around them stepped closer.

Jade immediately spoke.

“I wouldn’t take another step if I were you—unless you want your throats slit right now.”

Shing—!

Even though Jade only partially unsheathed his sword, Dane Cuera’s expression remained unchanged.

“You think one knight escort can handle all my men?”

Chaaang—!

In a flash, Jade’s sword was drawn and aimed straight at one man’s neck.

“Do I sound like I’m joking now?”

“Try swinging that sword and see if we just stand here watching.”

“You really think you can?”

A blue aura burst from Jade’s hand, wrapping around his sword.

Seeing that, Dane Cuera and his subordinates froze.

“A Sword Master…?”

A warrior of the highest caliber on the continent stood right before them.

Even if all his men attacked together, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You really think you can touch either of us now?”

“What kind of superior keeps a Sword Master as a bodyguard?”

At that, Fordman shrugged.

“I’m not obliged to tell you that. Now that you know you can’t touch me, we’ll be leaving.”

With those words, Fordman and Jade left the Cuera Trading Company.

Left behind, Dane Cuera slammed his fist down on the desk.

Bang—!

“What the hell is going on here?!”

He had thought a few threats would be enough to secure the goods.

But there was a Sword Master serving as a knight escort.

That in itself was strange.

Even in the Edina Kingdom’s royal capital, only the Knight Commander and a few others were Sword Masters.

If someone could hire such a powerful figure as a bodyguard, Fordman’s background had to be extraordinary.

“I need to meet with Count Mackenzie again. Prepare the carriage immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

His subordinates, who were still sweating from the lingering aura, quickly came to their senses and moved.

A few moments later, Dane Cuera boarded the carriage and headed toward Count Mackenzie’s residence.

After leaving the Cuera Trading Company, Fordman and Jade returned to the ship.

“We’ll visit the Ratea Trading Company tomorrow.”

“Agreed.”

“For now, get some rest. I’ll be stepping out for a bit.”

“Where are you going at this hour?”

The night was growing darker, and Jade’s words made Fordman uneasy.

“The Master gave specific instructions for cases like this.”

“The Master did?”

“How far ahead does the Master even see…? I’ll follow the plan and return afterward. Fordman, you must not act alone under any circumstances.”

“Understood.”

Fordman entered the cabin.

In the meantime, Jade stepped off the ship again and made his way into another part of the city.

“I think this was about the spot.”

Jade had headed toward the eastern gate of the port city of Archia.

“Hm?”

Sensing something off in the air, Jade deliberately turned into a secluded alley.

It was still quiet up to that point.

“How long do you plan on following me?”

His calm yet intimidating voice filled the narrow passage.

Right after that, men began pouring in from both ends of the alley.

There were roughly twenty of them.

“Well, well. You’re the one whose head almost flew off by my sword earlier. Here for revenge, are you?”

Among them were three of Dane Cuera’s subordinates.

“Revenge? No. I’m actually thankful you almost took my head back then. That’s why I came—to return the favor by tearing yours off for real.”

“Ah~! Truly, how thoughtful of you.”

Jade reached for his sword.

The man sneered, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

“You really think you can swing a sword properly in such a cramped alley? Especially against this many of us?”

At that, Jade glanced around briefly.

The alley was just wide enough for about three men to walk side by side.

The man was right—using a sword against twenty opponents in this space would be difficult.

“Well… a sword’s too good for the likes of you anyway.”

“Kill him!”

The men drew their daggers all at once and charged.

Tat-tat-tat!

Jade clenched his fists and dove straight into their midst.

Thud! Thud-thud!

The jaws of the three men in front shattered in a single strike as they were thrown backward.

At the same time, Jade dodged a dagger from behind and caught the man’s sleeve.

It was True Martial Art – Hand-to-Hand Combat Art.

The men were lifted into the air and slammed to the ground.

“He’s as quick as a damn rat! Everyone, rush him and pin him down!”

At their leader’s shout, the hesitant men surged forward again.

But Jade didn’t stop attacking.

He stepped on one man’s shoulder, ran along the wall, and unleashed a series of kicks.

It was a relentless close-quarters fight.

Thud! Thud-thud-thud! Crash—!

The alley echoed with loud impacts.

Jade weaved in and out of the narrow space, taking them down one by one.

Thud! Crack—! Thud-thud!

He even used the joint manipulation techniques he had learned from Raion’s True Martial Art.

Several of the men screamed as their knees and elbows bent in the wrong direction.

“Argh! My arm!”

“My leg!”

Of the twenty men, more than half were already lying motionless on the ground.

They covered the narrow alleyway completely.

“Phew~! What about you guys? Not coming? Finally scared?”

Jade stood perfectly unharmed.

Meanwhile, Cuera’s subordinates were trembling in fear.

“If you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you.”

Step. Step.

As Jade advanced, the remaining men panicked.

“R-run!”

With that cry, the survivors scattered in all directions.

“Pathetic.”

Brushing his palms together, Jade scanned the area briefly before stepping back onto the main street.

After walking for a while, he arrived at Blue Sunset.

When he entered, the drinkers inside looked up briefly before turning away again.

Jade approached the bartender and presented a steel badge engraved with the Dragonia emblem.

The bartender’s eyes widened subtly.

“A distinguished guest, I see. Please, head down that way.”

“Thank you.”

Jade followed the stairs leading to a basement passage.

At the bottom, a middle-aged man greeted him.

“Welcome to the Archia Branch of the Eye of the Moon, Sir Jade. I’m Ventus, the branch leader here.”

At his introduction, Jade gave a polite nod.

“I’m Jade. I came to request your assistance.”

“You must be here for information on the Cuera Trading Company.”

“How did you know that?”

Surprised, Jade stared at Ventus intently.

“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s move inside first.”

There was a private room prepared within.

Once seated, Ventus began speaking.

“Rumors have already spread about the two unusual galleons that docked earlier today. And from the crests on their sails and flags, we knew immediately who they belonged to.”

The Eye of the Moon – Archia Branch had already gathered significant intelligence on the trade ship from Kanas.

“Then how did you know about the Cuera Trading Company?”

“The Cuera Trading Company has been targeting the merchant Fordman for a long time. Each time, we’ve offered him assistance. Naturally, we expected them to make another move this time.”

Jade was impressed by their level of information gathering and analysis.

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